Originally delivered on 11/18/2024 6:00 am

SUBJECT: OHS Weekly Flash | Turkey Trot Food Drive ends Thursday

Weekly Flash

November 18, 2024

IN THIS NEWSLETTER:

  • Updates from Principal Smyth 
  • Last call for cans! Turkey Trot Food Drive ends on Thursday
  • Join us for the Turkey Trot fun run on November 26
  • Help decorate our bulletin board inside OHS
  • Variety Show - ticket sneak peak, program volunteers needed
  • Nurses office requests clothes donations
  • Friday is Spirit Day - shop for OHS gear online
  • Learn how to enter the National PTA Reflections art contest 
  • Bring in your extra candy for the Sweetheart Dance
  • Support the Fairfield Public Schools Maintenance and Custodial Division's Toy Drive
Coming Soon
  • November 21 - Turkey Trot Food Drive ends
  • November 22 - Spirit Day
  • November 25-December 6 - Pumpkin Composting
  • November 26 - Turkey Trot Fun Run
  • November 27 - Early Dismissal, 1:40pm
  • November 28-29 - NO SCHOOL
Looking Ahead
  • December 2 - Variety Show ticket sales begin
  • December 3 - Early Dismissal, 1:40pm
  • December 6 - Reflections submissions due
  • December 13 - PTA meeting, 9:15am

**Follow us on OHS Families Facebook & OHS_Families Instagram to stay in the know, and check out our OHS PTA website!**

Dear OHS Families,


I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!


Thank you to all of the parents who attended the PTA meeting Thursday night. I appreciate the support you give to the PTA, as they are such a positive presence at OHS, and really help to make our school successful. It was great to have BOE member Jennifer Jacobsen at our meeting on Thursday! Ms. Jacobsen provided valuable insight into the direction of the district, and our parents had the opportunity to ask specific questions that were important to them. 


We are a week and a half from Thanksgiving, and it is wonderful to witness the generosity of the OHS community! Thank you to all of the families who have donated to the Turkey Trot Food Drive! If you have not had a chance yet, you have until this Thursday to donate. Thank you also to the families who have donated to our Toy Drive to help ensure all children have a special Christmas this year! We will be accepting donations of toys until December 16th. 


A couple of important reminders for this week:

  • Please make sure you update your SDM with any dismissal changes.

  • Grade 4 has a big field trip this Friday to the Mashantucket Pequot Museum. Please remember students are getting picked up early Friday morning, and have to be at school at 7:45 am.


I hope you all have a terrific week ahead! Take care.


Sean F. Smyth, Principal

Turkey Trot Food Drive ends Thursday

Four more days to keep those cans coming! The Turkey Trot Food Drive ends on Thursday, November 21. Please consider bringing in non-perishable goods to be donated to Operation Hope. Last year they were blown away by our support. Donations can be brought right to your child’s classroom. The classroom with the most items collected will receive a prize! 4FL is still in the lead, but 1M, 4P and 1O are within three cans of each other for second place!

 

Also, if you have any spare cardboard boxes (think small moving box size) please drop them in the office. Below are a list of items requested by Operation Hope: 

Volunteers needed to transport donations

We are also looking for several volunteers to help us load and transport all the donations to Operation Hope this Friday, November 22nd at 10am - click here if you can help!


Questions? Contact the Turkey Trot Committee.

Watch the Turkey Trot fun run next Tuesday

The Thanksgiving Food Drive culminates with our Turkey Trot on Tuesday, November 26th. The kids will take part in a fun run around the building during school hours and parents can root the kids on! 


We're looking for parent volunteers to cheer on our turkey trotters and provide guidance on the course. 

Please reference the course map so you can choose your volunteer locations: 

  • Grades K-1 will do a shorter loop starting up by the playground in the back. 
  • Grades 2-5 will be traveling around the building (starting in the back parking lot)

The start is staggered by grade and class with K-1 starting at 9:20.  Usually 2nd grade lines up by 9:35 and then 3-5 around 9:50.  Please note these times are not exact as once we get started the goal is to keep the classes rolling through continuously.

Click Here to Sign Up!

Questions? Contact Courtney Cataldo.

Volunteer to decorate our bulletin board inside OHS

We have a new OHS PTA bulletin board, and to kick things off, our new IDEA committee is going to feature December holidays and traditions.  We need 2-3 volunteers for end of November to help decorate the board for December. Bonus if you have any personal stories or traditions to share.  Please email the IDEA Committee if you are interested in helping with this.

Variety Show ticket sales coming soon, program volunteers needed

Save the date - tickets for the 2025 Variety Show will go on sale the week of December 2nd. We'll have more details in next week's Flash!


We are looking for volunteers to assist with creating the Variety Show program. If you're interested in getting involved, please email us at ohsvarietyshow2025@gmail.com. 

Nurse's office needs new back-up clothes

Nurse Jim is in need of some more back-up clothes items. Click here to see the items requested and please sign up if you can help. Clothes can be sent in to the office with your child, or you can drop off with "Attention Nurse Jim" on the label. Deadline for donations is Monday, December 2.  Thank you! 

Shop our OHS spiritwear store for your Spirit Day gear

This Friday is Spirit Day! Break out your spiritwear or dress in green to show your OHS pride. Spirit Days are held the last Friday of each month.


Buy your spiritwear on our online store

Stock up for the next Spirit Day or get a head start on your holiday shopping with our online spiritwear store. We've got sweatshirts, hoodies, PJ pants and more!

Click here for our OHS Spiritwear Shop

Pumpkin composting at OHS next week, available now at other schools

The composting dumpster at OHS will be in place 11/25 through 12/6, but do your pumpkins need to go NOW??? No problem, several other elementary schools already have dumpsters in place.  Holland Hill, Jennings, and Mill Hill are already open for business! You are welcome to use them for your composting needs! 


Questions? Contact the OHS Green Team

Enter the National PTA Reflections Art Competition

Does your child like to draw, write, make music or dance? Do they love to take photos and videos? We encourage all student artists to enter the National PTA's Reflections Art Competition. Students are invited to create art under the theme "Accepting Imperfection" in the categories of visual arts, photography, music composition, film production, dance choreography, and literature. 


OHS winners from grades K-2 and 3-5 will be chosen from EACH of the 6 categories, and move on to the State level. We will have prizes for the first, second and third place winners in each category!

How to enter the competition


Questions? Contact Tanya Dunne

Extra candy? Donate it to the Sweetheart Dance

Need to make room in your pantry for Thanksgiving? We'll take any candy off your hands! Please consider donating your extra nut-free candy for the Sweetheart Dance. There will be a box in the office until Friday.


Questions? Contact Eva Elinskas

Have news to share? Email Jen Braunby 10am Friday
to include in the following Monday's OHS Weekly Flash.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -